E-minor7 Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 4 hours ago, DanvillRob said: Shooby-Do-Wah-Be-Dah! Whenever I hear the shooby-do-wah I know that comes from my nanny's guitar and when it continues with be-dah-be-dah I'm not sure if it she or me is the star Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 (edited) On 7/14/2021 at 5:13 PM, rbpicker said: I was sort of kidding in my post above regarding Loar. I noted that the mandolin is an oval hole. Did Lloyd Loar only make only f-hole instruments? I’ve seen and played one of his (a ‘24). It was f-hole style, so I don’t know about the others he may have been involved with..... whatever it is it is cool and likely worth a lot of money. Coming late to this thread - What a wonderful story and instrument! Wanted to mention that your Grandma's mandolin is an F-2. These were in production many years before Lloyd Loar arrived at Gibson, but her F-2 has a truss rod, which first appeared in late 1921, and became a standard feature on many models in 1922. This means that it might have been from the early to mid '20s (which is indeed when Loar was roaming the floor at Gibson), but the F-2 remained in production until 1934, and the headstock logo on hers looks like a later one to my eye. Although Loar was only involved directly in the production of the F-5 master model, most Gibson mandolins from the '20s typically sound very good. As an example, I have a plain-jane 1922 oval-holed 'A' model, and imho, it's tonally a superb instrument - well played, but with no body repairs whatsoever & a dead-on straight ebony fingerboard. So regardless of the exact year of production, your Grandma owned & played one of the finest high-end mandolins out there at the time. Although the F-2 does not command the incredibly high prices of a Loar F-5 model, it remains a highly desirable instrument. One other comment regarding the truss rod of your J-45: Some people feel compelled to mess around with the truss rod - myself being one of them. When acquiring a vintage Gibson with a truss rod, before attempting to loosen the nut, I use a pencil-type applicator of WD-40, and being very careful not to get any on the wood of the instrument, I apply a small amount to both ends of the nut. After giving it some time to let the WD-40 soak onto the threaded portion of the rod, the nut has always loosened without undue pressure. Of course there's always a first time, but thus far, I've never had one where the nut wouldn't budge. If you attempt this, use a light touch when attempting to first turn the nut - and if it doesn't readily move, Stop! Thank so much for sharing your story with us, and enjoy that treasure of an instrument! Edited July 21, 2021 by bobouz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbpicker Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 Bobouz, I really enjoyed you commentary on the mandolin. My experience ends with my one encounter with the L.L. Signed F5 I mentioned. Thanks for filling in more detail. BTW, the F5 I played was gifted to the owner some years ago by a late uncle. She toted it around in her car for weeks before it appeared at my house one night after she loaned it to a friend of mine. He was going to “work on it” for her. I explained what she had there and pleaded with him to not touch it. He listened and returned it to her. She took it to Elderly for an appraisal. They sold it for 135K. sorry to hijack the thread, but this was a unique experience. rb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 34 minutes ago, rbpicker said: Bobouz, I really enjoyed you commentary on the mandolin. My experience ends with my one encounter with the L.L. Signed F5 I mentioned. Thanks for filling in more detail. BTW, the F5 I played was gifted to the owner some years ago by a late uncle. She toted it around in her car for weeks before it appeared at my house one night after she loaned it to a friend of mine. He was going to “work on it” for her. I explained what she had there and pleaded with him to not touch it. He listened and returned it to her. She took it to Elderly for an appraisal. They sold it for 135K. sorry to hijack the thread, but this was a unique experience. rb I too enjoyed learning about the L.L. F-5 and about the F-2 model, (I really like the F-2). I have a Loar Brand mandolin, (like an F-5). The Gibson mandolins are too rich for my playing ability on them! I'd love to play a L.L. F-5 sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 1 hour ago, rbpicker said: BTW, the F5 I played was gifted to the owner some years ago by a late uncle. She toted it around in her car for weeks before it appeared at my house one night after she loaned it to a friend of mine. He was going to “work on it” for her. I explained what she had there and pleaded with him to not touch it. He listened and returned it to her. She took it to Elderly for an appraisal. They sold it for 135K. Rb, you truly saved the day on that one! Reminds me of a similar Antiques Roadshow piece from a few years back where a woman brought in a mandolin that belonged to a relative & was found in the attic, iirc. They open the case, and there sits a gorgeous Loar signed F-5! It was a real jaw-dropper, and she eventually sold/auctioned it off, but I don’t recall the selling price. The nice thing about oval holed F-2 & fancier F-4 models from the ‘20s is that you get the same exquisite build quality, but they remain reasonably affordable for the average human being! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSchooner Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 35 minutes ago, bobouz said: The nice thing about oval holed F-2 & fancier F-4 models from the ‘20s is that you get the same exquisite build quality, but they remain reasonably affordable for the average human being! I know they're not as desirable as the f-hole models but they are way cooler looking to my eye! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cqlove87 Posted July 21, 2021 Author Share Posted July 21, 2021 For our 10 year anniversary my wife surprised me with a brother for the banner. See any similarities? Man ,what a summer it has been! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 Now THAT'S special! Seems as though you really married 'up'! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 4 hours ago, cqlove87 said: For our 10 year anniversary my wife surprised me with a brother for the banner. See any similarities? Man ,what a summer it has been! Fantastic - do you HEAR any similarities ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cqlove87 Posted July 22, 2021 Author Share Posted July 22, 2021 8 hours ago, E-minor7 said: Fantastic - do you HEAR any similarities ? Yes but the banner has a unique sound. A certain earthy tone. The new one sounds just like that, new! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 1 hour ago, cqlove87 said: Yes but the banner has a unique sound. A certain earthy tone. The new one sounds just like that, new! I bought a brand-new Hummingbird Custom Koa back in 2011.... it's just now coming into it's own! You new sibling will be a stunner, for sure! Congratz! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 4 hours ago, cqlove87 said: Yes but the banner has a unique sound. A certain earthy tone. The new one sounds just like that, new! Sure - the dry wooden vintage flavor can't be 'constructed'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfish Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 Now tell us about the new one, doesn't look like a standard 45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cqlove87 Posted July 22, 2021 Author Share Posted July 22, 2021 1 hour ago, philfish said: Now tell us about the new one, doesn't look like a standard 45 It says 50s j45 original on the sticker on the inside. After looking it up, it seems to be similar to the standard in build and materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbpicker Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 You are the luckiest man I’ve heard about all day…all this week actually. Congratulations on a beautiful pair.. rb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 I love your new Gibson too!. Funny, back in early 2019 I wrote the Gibson Custom Shop because I heard they were starting up the Made To Order program… maybe I learned that from a thread here. They never responded, or so I thought. This week I found an email from them in my spam folder. They did respond after all. I had spec’d out a custom Gibson based on the J 45 Standard, with creme buttons instead of Grovers, with a batwing guard, and with several other modifications, including the neck shape. I was guessing it would cost $3500. Their email told me to hold tight, because a new line was going to be coming that would give me 90% of my changes, but much less cost. That model is the one your bride gave you! And Bozeman proved their integrity… they could have taken my money. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 2 hours ago, Salfromchatham said: I love your new Gibson too!. Funny, back in early 2019 I wrote the Gibson Custom Shop because I heard they were starting up the Made To Order program… maybe I learned that from a thread here. They never responded, or so I thought. This week I found an email from them in my spam folder. They did respond after all. I had spec’d out a custom Gibson based on the J 45 Standard, with creme buttons instead of Grovers, with a batwing guard, and with several other modifications, including the neck shape. I was guessing it would cost $3500. Their email told me to hold tight, because a new line was going to be coming that would give me 90% of my changes, but much less cost. That model is the one your bride gave you! And Bozeman proved their integrity… they could have taken my money. A trophy your way, , , the veil can be passed further to Montana. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomG76 Posted August 10, 2021 Share Posted August 10, 2021 Your nanny and her guitar have a lot in common. Both are exceptionally classy and deserve to be cherished always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cqlove87 Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 (edited) If you go to the 1:53 mark of this video you will see my Nan that passed this j45 down to me. Here I am playing it in her house on Thanksgiving of 2018. I miss her everyday. A wonderful woman and someone who saved my life multiple times over. I could never repay her. Edited January 10 by cqlove87 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livemusic Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 What a dream story, congrats bigtime! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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